Grace
by The Genius Mage
Summary: Being re-written, along with it's sequel. Probably will be under a different name, but I can't promise anything for when it gets up.
1. Falling in Love

_**Well okay, here it is! My first school fanfic. Done many times before, I'm sure.**_

_**This story is dedicated to Handwritten, the complete master of all things NaminexRoxas.**_

**Disclaimer: **I **do not** own Kingdom Hearts, or the series my "cameo character" is from. You'll see who that is at the end of this chapter.

**Grace**

Chapter One: Falling in Love

Roxas never knew why, but his favorite thing to do after school was hang out with his friends, or alone sometimes, at the local coffee shop, Sunrise. It had a nice, friendly feel, served ice cream and soda along with the obvious, and the general atmosphere seemed to scream "teenage hang out", but was also professional enough for some adults.

He would sit in his usual spot, in the usual booth with his friends. Xion was across from him, sipping her fruit drink, and Axel sat beside her, usually eating something sweet. They were talking about something or other that Roxas had missed.

"Like I said, Xion." Axel said with a widening smirk. "I think you need to get a boyfriend. At your age, and never had a date?"  
Xion twirled her finger on her short black hair, something she did when she was nervous. "I don't need one, Axel." She made a face, then grinned. "I'm a strong independent woman."

Axel broke into laughter and Xion rolled her eyes.

"Tell him to lay off of me, Roxas."

"Roxas?"

"Hellooo?"

But Roxas wasn't listening. He was staring at the new set of people that had just entered the coffee shop.

One was a brown haired kid, his hair was really spiky and out of control. He had bright blue eyes and an expression of silliness that seemed to permanently exist on his face. Beside him was a red haired girl with a friendly look about her, and behind _her..._

Behind her was a blonde haired girl, with a simple white dress, and blue eyes with a deep intelligent look about them. She looked nervous, laughing quietly at something the boy said, moving to a table with her friend while the boy went to order drinks.

"He's gone brain dead on us."

"Is he going to be okay?"

Snapping back to his friends' conversation, Roxas smiled sheepishly.

"Hey, sorry about that..."

Axel waved it away. "You like her?" He teased.

Xion glanced nervously at him. "Who?"

"The blonde. His eyes just went..." Axel widened his own eyes to ridiculous proportions, then broke into a snicker.

Roxas blushed. "No, of course not..."

Xion stared at him, her eyes flicking across his features. Then she shrugged.

"Let's go."

Roxas noticed when they left that the blonde turned to look at him. Was it a casual glance to see who was leaving the shop or...?

***

Roxas came back the next day, alone this time. Xion was off at some kind of family thing with her father, and Axel was at what passed for a "date" with Larxene.

Which probably meant he was doing something against the law. Danger was fun to Larxene.

Roxas sat in his usual spot, staring around the shop. And just like clockwork the girl came with her friends, at the same time as yesterday. He wondered why he hadn't seen her in school.

She was drinking some sort of smoothie, but her eyes weren't focusing on her friends. She was staring to the side slightly, her eyes seemed to be looking at something.

Roxas wondered what she was thinking. He wanted to ask. Her brow was furrowed faintly, it looked like she was thinking hard.

He _really _wanted to ask her.

Suddenly, the boy said something to her. She turned her head and shook it. The boy grinned, playfully shoving her.

Was that her boyfriend or something?

_Why should you care? _He asked himself.

He didn't.

He couldn't.

Could he?

His suspicions were laid to rest when the boy lightly kissed the redhead on the cheek, and she smiled before laughing. The blonde took out a sketchpad and started drawing.

_What are you drawing?_

As usual, his mind replayed the questions he so wanted to ask the girl.

Suddenly, the door to the shop opened and in came a girl in an orange dress, and two boys. One had sandy brown hair, the other dark silver hair. The silver haired boy rolled his eyes and sat next to the redhead. However, the orange dress girl walked over to the redhead and started speaking in a loud voice. Obviously "inside voices" was something she wasn't used to. He thought she was in his Language Arts class.

"Kairi! So nice to see you!"

So that was the redhead's name. She wasn't in any of his classes.

Kairi smiled, it looked like a grimace. "Hey, Selphie."

The sandy haired boy waved cheerily. "Hey Sora."

Sora waved back. "Hey Tidus."

While the boys had a simple hello, Selphie continued to talk.

"So, who's this?"  
"That's Namine. She's going to be starting school tomorrow, her parents were just moving in and hadn't had time to set things up with the school yet." Kairi answered.

Namine...that was a beautiful name, he thought.

"Hey, Namine! I'm Selphie!"

Namine waved quickly. She said something in a quiet voice.

"Well, we'll be leaving now. Just dropping Riku off."

That must be the silver haired guy. Tidus frowned slightly, scratching his neck.

"Aw, I kinda wanted to get a-"

Selphie grabbed him bodily and hauled him from the room. "C'mon!"

Not long after, Namine and her friends left the Sunrise.

***

Roxas never wanted the school day to start more in his life.

He waited in the football fields behind the school, with the other kids, waiting for the Twilight High doors to open. Kids were chatting in groups, and Roxas listened with half a ear to whatever Xion and Axel were saying.

Axel had a bad tendency to ditch school, not to mention he was one grade higher than Roxas and Xion. But he was here today, even though Larxene wasn't. Roxas had actually only met her once, and he had immediately _not _liked her.

Xion looked at him from between her bangs. "What are you looking for?"

Roxas started guiltily. "No one."

She made a face. "We've been friends since childhood. I know when you're bothered with something."

Roxas sighed. "I'm looking for the new girl. I wanted to say hi to her." He flushed red when Axel broke into laughter. How did he always seem to _know?_

"You have a crush! Hah!"

Xion narrowed her eyes slightly, then she said, "What's she look like?"

"Blonde hair, usually a white dress..."

Xion smiled thinly. "I don't see her."

***

Two classes went by without Roxas seeing sight of Namine. He trudged to his next class with Xion in tow, who was grumbling about how much she hated Science.

Mr. Johnson, the Science teacher, was at the front of the class. On the board were the words "Animals".

Xion brightened considerably. "Animals are much better than genes." She said as she sat next to him.

Mr. Johnson turned toward the class. "Now, class, we have two new students today! Coming to us from a different country is the student part of our exchange program."

A boy walked into class, head down. He had spiky red hair and dark clothes on, his facial expression was hid by his fallen hair, but his green eyes were visible. He may had shared the same eye color and hair color as Axel, but he was easily different.

"Class, this is Ari Virtus."

The kid was weird. Your eyes just seemed to slide over him, you had to really force yourself to look at him.

Several kids chorused "Hi!", and Ari waved slightly before taking a seat at a table near Roxas.

"And this," Said the teacher as Namine entered the class with a shy smile. "Is Ms. Namine. She's from Destiny Islands."

Several kids gave an "Oh" noise, then welcomed Namine also. Namine sat next to Ari, who had been at the only empty table.

Roxas grinned to himself, unable to stop the giddy feeling. She was here. He was going to stop being such a _wimp _and talk to her at lunch. Just a hello.

Every moment in class Roxas couldn't help but hope he could catch Namine's eye, but she was concentrating on her textbook.

***

During lunch, Roxas grabbed his tray and said to Xion, "Let's go talk to the new kids."

She raised her eyebrows. "If you want."

The new kids were sitting at a table with Selphie, Sora, Kairi, Tidus, and several kids in his class that Roxas was on good terms with, Olette, Hayner, and Pence. They were all chatting excitedly at one end of the table, while Namine sat next to Kairi, and Ari sat a little away from all of them, actually reading a book and eating at the same time.

Roxas waved as Olette lifted her green eyes and smiled. "Hey, Roxas."

Roxas sat down next to Namine, Xion across from him. "Hi." He said to her, trying his best to be charming.

Hayner broke into laughter, then started choking and needed Pence to start slapping him on the back. Ari raised an eyebrow but said nothing besides going back to his book.

Namine looked nervous, and she was blushing slightly. "Hi." She said in a quiet tone.

"Now that you're done interrupting me..." Selphie grumbled, launching back into her story.

"I'm Roxas. I'm in your Science class?"

"Oh. Yeah. I know." She said nervously, avoiding eye contact.

"What other classes do you have?"

She passed him her schedule, and he stared at it. He had all the same classes as her!

This _must _be some divine intervention.

Praying his thanks, Roxas grinned. "We have all the same classes! I'll show you around?"

"I'd like that. Thanks."

Kairi laughed as Sora gave a whoop.

"I don't have to be late for class anymore!"

Kairi smiled apologetically. "Sora offered to escort Namine, but his classes aren't with hers. Selphie has some of her classes, and so do Hayner and Olette, and Pence too. I don't." She looked unhappy at this, but then brightened. "But we're gonna take the after school classes."

"Which ones?" Roxas asked.

Xion snorted slightly, staring at her food. Pence gave her a look.

"We're doing drama. It'll be so fun!" She reached over and hugged Namine. "We're cousins!"

"You're embarrassing me..." Namine said with a small giggle that sounded like bells.

"Embarrassment is good for the soul." Hayner teased.

"Hello? Story here?" Selphie interjected.

"Oh, sorry Selph. Continue?" Kairi apologized.

Tidus mimed dying while Sora and the rest snickered uncontrollably.

Feeling guilty again for using the excuse of meeting the new kids without talking to one, he tapped Ari on the shoulder.

"You're Ari, right?"

He nodded, lifting his eyes.

"How do you like Twilight Town so far?"  
"It's okay. Different than what I'm used to." His voice was strangely quiet, but noticeable.

"Where're you from?" Xion said, clearly eager to stop him from talking to Namine.

He smiled slightly. "Not from here. Not a lot of technology from where I'm from."

They chatted with everyone back and forth before the bell rang for class.

***

_**Well, how was it? Slow right now, but I promise it'll pick up. Good? Bad? Review! **_

_**In case you're wondering, the coffee scene was inspired by the song "Falling in Love in a Coffee Shop", by Landon Pigg, I think.**_

_**Ari is from the game "Okage: Shadow King", in order to write this I had to satisfy both my Kingdom Hearts urge and my Okage urge at the same time. He'll pop up from time to time as a secondary character, but not enough for this to be considered a Cross Over. He's one of the OCs.**_


	2. Set Up

_**(I don't mind taking suggestions for some OCs, if that's what you want.)**_

Grace

Chapter Two: Set Up

Roxas eagerly led Namine through the school, pointing out various things.

"Don't drink from that water fountain. I don't know why, but I don't trust water fountains outside of bathrooms."

"Be sure to walk close to the wall, people will generally move out of the way for you."

"The kids in this hallway are kinda mean, sport jocks and what not."

"Hey, I'm a sports jock!" Sora pouted, and then grinned, stepping past them into his class.

Further down the hallway was their own class. They entered Algebra and sat down. Namine sat next to Roxas automatically.

Roxas grinned and looked at her. "So, Namine. How's school so far?"

She still refused to make eye contact, always staring at the table. "I like it. The kids here are nice."

"Glad to hear it." He said warmly.

Xion came in, saw Roxas sitting next to Namine, and walked over.

"Hey," she sulked. "I usually sit there."

Roxas smiled at her, giving her that puppy dog look she couldn't resist. "Please, Xion? Just for today?"

She huffed, ran her eyes over Namine and Roxas, and then turned. "Okay." She went to sit next to Hayner who immediately launched into a conversation on something or other.

Namine must be a very studious kid. She paid heavy attention to the teacher the whole class period. It couldn't be helped, but he felt extremely self conscious when she was next to him. He stared at his paper, trying to figure out the jumble of numbers.

When class was over Roxas decided he had to make it up to Xion. He quickly found her in the hallway and walked with her to Gym.

"Last class." She said with a grin.

"Great. I always wanted to land flat on my face." Namine mumbled.

"Not good at gym?" Xion said in a sympathetic tone. But her eyes were blue slits.

"Yeah."

"Don't worry; I'll be your partner." Roxas said cheerily.

Xion shot Roxas a look. "We've been partners since the first day!"

"Oh please, Xion. Calm down. More the reason why I should be partners with someone else."

Xion fumed, stepping ahead.

"You could have worded that better." Namine observed.

Roxas groaned, slapping his face. "I know."

Gym wasn't all that bad. Namine was actually pretty graceful, stepping easily around the others. Most of her shots were rebounds, but the basketball actually made it in three times. Roxas's made it in seven times.

And Ari's made it five.

Everyone was so surprised when the kid actually had skill! He didn't look like the type, but he was really athletic underneath it all. When his team started congratulating him, (he was on the same team as Roxas so the other side was decimated), he just mumbled something and slunk away.

Xion had been on the losing side, and she was in a foul mood.

"Calm down, Xion. I'm sorry." Roxas said, leaving Namine with Sora whom they had found in the halls.

Xion turned her head slightly.

"Can I make it up to you?" He begged, unable to imagine leaving her angry.

She sighed, and then smiled. "Okay. It's okay. However…"

She twirled around and wrapped her arms around his chest. "I want to go to a movie." Her eyes sparkled.

Confused, since Xion rarely allowed physical contact, Roxas just said, "Um. Okay. Sure. When?"

"What about Saturday? See you then!" Suddenly she let go and turned around. But not before Roxas saw her smirk.

And then he noticed Namine was looking at him. Her blue eyes were wide.

_Darn that little…_

_***_

"She set me up, man!" Roxas groaned, speaking to Axel via the cell phone.

"Who?"

"Xion! She hugged me in the hallway and made it sound like we were dating, _in front of Namine!_"

"_Xion_?" Axel said in disbelief.

"Yeah. I know."

"What did she say?"

"She wants me to take her to a movie on Saturday."

"I can go with you; it'll be like a friend thing." Axel's voice said on the other end. Someone spoke in the back.

"Who's there?"

"Larxene. And she wants to see the movie." Axel groaned.

Roxas sighed unhappily. "Ho hum. Well, I'm gonna finish some homework, and try to think of a way out of this."

"Talk to Olette, she has some really good advice on these things."

"Wait, do you know her number?"

"Sure, I'll give it to you."

Larxene's voice was audible this time.

"_Why do you have her number?_"

"Um…gotta go." He quickly gave him the number, and then hung up.

Roxas dialed it, wondering why Axel even had the number. Maybe he spoke with Hayner or something when they had ball games.

"Hello?" Olette chimed on the other end.

"Hey. It's Roxas."

"Hello, Roxas. Can I help you?"

"Well…um…" He explained the whole situation to her, and she was silent for a while.

"Oh my gosh! I never knew she'd do a thing like that!"

"Me either. Any advice?"

Olette sighed. "I'm not sure. You told me Axel can't go; the only thing to stop it from being a date is to get someone else to go with you, without a date, of course."

"Any ideas?"

"Nope. I would say Hayner, but…he and Pence and the other boys we know are going to a ballgame. Kairi's off with Selphie, and I'm going with them…as soon as they call me."

"And Namine?" Roxas asked with a sigh.

"I don't know. She's at home. We offered to take her, but she wanted to hang out at home. Don't bring her into this, Roxas."

"I wasn't going to."

"Then why did you ask?"

"I-I-"He wanted to know what she was doing. That was all. "Never mind. See you, Olette."

He quickly headed for the library, desperate for something to take his mind off of the whole Xion date thing.

Inside the library, it was easy to lose yourself. The report was finished in one hour, and Roxas leaned back, twirling a pencil between his fingers.

"Didn't expect do see you here."

Roxas started, dropping his pencil. Ari was looking at him with a crooked grin.

"Oh. Hey, Ari."

Ari selected a book from the self. "Hello."

"So, what's up?"

The exchange kid shrugged. "Nothing. Just finished the Language report." He cocked his head to the side.

"You don't look happy."

"Of course I don't. Xion just set me up with a date in front of Namine!"

"Don't you like her?"

Roxas thudded his head on the table. "As a friend! Only!"

Ari smiled thinly. "The answer is obvious."

"To you."

"True. The question is, does she know you don't like her like that?"

"Is there any way to stop this from being a date?" Roxas asked in place of an answer. That was a puzzling statement.

"You have two options." Ari replied. "Either don't go, which is probably bad for your fortune, or do the right thing and _talk to her_."

Roxas sighed. "Okay. Thanks."

Ari shrugged, heading through the bookcases with his book.

Roxas leaned back thoughtfully in the chair, grabbing his pencil off the floor.

Did Xion really love him?

Did he _want _to dump her?

With a sigh Roxas leaped up, grabbed his things, and headed home.

***

Saturday came. He was supposed to get Xion and take her to the movie theater, (within very easy walking distance from her house, to the point taking a car would be really dumb), at around eight.

"Oh crap." He moaned, covering his face.

His cell phone rang, and Roxas quickly opened it.

"Sora?" Roxas said in surprise, recognizing the voice on the other end that had just said hello.

"I heard about the date." The word "date" had an odd twist to it, and Roxas could envision Sora grinning.

"Would it make you feel better if I went with you, along with Kairi?"

"Sora, I don't even want to date her! We're just friends!"

"How in the world man did you end up with a date you didn't want?"

"Xion's really crafty."

"I see."

"Yeah."

Sora sighed. "Hey, I don't know. Riku is always dateless, set him up with-Ow!"

Roxas snickered, imagining the silver haired boy kicking Sora. Riku was like Axel, also a year older than him.

"Calm down, sir." Sora said in a mock serious tone.

"Calm down yourself. I'm dateless by choice." Riku's voice said in the background.

"Suure. Keep telling yourself that. Anyway, Roxas, let her down gently, okay?"

Roxas hung up, and then stared at the ceiling.

He had a multitude of choices.

What should he do? Let her down gently, outright dump her, just go ahead and take her out? Or some other option that wasn't immediately obvious to him?

***

_**That's right! I want you to tell me in a review what Roxas should do! The most voices calling for what will determine what will happen next!**_


	3. That Clever Little Sneak

_**Without further delay! Thanks to all that reviewed!**_

Grace

Chapter Three: That Clever Little Sneak

Well, it was obvious.

Sora and Ari were both right. He had to let her down gently. The question was, should he let her down over the phone or go see her personally?

Roxas bit his lip. Xion had been his friend for a long time, ever since he had saved her from some local bullies. He wanted to get out of this with his friendship intact, thank you very much!

Still…over the phone might get him that "you were too chicken to tell me that to my face" comment that girls seemed to have in reserve. So, should he just head on over to her house?

He looked at the clock. It was one in the afternoon. He exited his house, grabbed his bike from the side of the yard, and started pedaling.

Falling into the familiar rhythm one got while biking, he let his mind wander as he headed for the slums. Xion lived in a pretty broken down house, not to be rude, even though hers was pretty good compared to the others in her neighborhood. Turning a corner, Roxas made a strong effort _not _to make eye contact with the black hooded drug dealer on the street corner.

Xion's house was an old brick building with two stories. The yard was overgrown with weeds, and the fence that surrounded it was broken slightly. Quickly padlocking his bike to a pole on Xion's porch, Roxas knocked aside a climbing weed and knocked on the door.

Nothing.

He rang the ancient doorbell.

Footsteps could be heard, quick and quiet. Then Xion opened the door, a black cat was rubbing around her knees.

"Roxas?" She asked in surprise. "I didn't expect you until later."

Roxas scratched the back of his neck, and then took a deep breath. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that."

"Oh?"

"Yeah…um…we're just friends, that's all. I really like you, don't get me wrong, but only as a friend…okay?"

Xion turned around slightly, twirling her finger into her hair.

"You don't want to go on a date, huh?" She said at last.

"Not really" He said. Then he noticed the way Xion's eyes looked, and he stammered for a remedy."…I mean, we could go to the movies as _just friends_ but…"

Xion grinned then. "We can still go to the movies? Really?"

Roxas blinked, knowing she didn't have a lot of money to go to the movies for. He didn't know there was something out she actually cared to see, or he would have taken her to one earlier. "You actually want to see a movie? That was all?"

Xion cocked her head to the side, eyes gleaming. "Of course."

Roxas's mind was on overload. "Wha?"

Xion gave him a crafty smile that uncomfortably reminded him of Larxene.

"Feel free to bring any number of friends you want. See you at eight!" She closed the door. Roxas could hear her whistling inside.

***

"Say what?" Axel stared at Roxas with an open mouth.

"Close that thing before you end up with a bird's nest in it." Hayner said with a snicker.

Axel ignored him. "I don't think she wanted to see a movie." He crossed his arms. "Am I right?" He added, looking at everyone else.

All the friends were gathered to discuss things in the Sunrise; they were all sitting at nearby booths and chairs. Roxas had even decided to invite Ari, since the kid seemed to know a lot.

Olette nodded, looking at Roxas. "She just tricked you again."

Selphie snorted. "You fell right into that one!"

Sora sighed. "Yeah Roxas. You're not good with girls, are you?"

Roxas was bewildered. "What do you mean?"

Riku said evenly, "He means she's just tricking you into taking her to the movie anyway."

Roxas slammed his head on the table. "Has someone told Namine?" _That clever little sneak!_

Kairi smiled. "I haven't told her anything, but she'll be coming here in a little bit."

"This is a simple matter." Ari said quietly.

Tidus grinned. "It sure is. Just take some friends with you, stop it from being a date. Axel and Larxene can go, right?"

Axel shrugged. "If you want. Roxas doesn't like Larxene that much, though."

"At least when you're not alone, you're in less danger of someone trying to kiss you!" Pence said thoughtfully.

"So, Axel, does Larxene want to go to the movies?"

The redhead in question grabbed his cell phone and dialed the number. During the conversation he mimed Larxene talking with his hand.

"Hey, Larxene. Yeah. Want to go to the movies, with Roxas and Xion?" A long pause. "Yeah, you can pick the movie, but nothing too bad, okay?" He hung up, and then grimaced. "Prepare for a horror movie or something. Chick flicks don't work with Larxene, got it memorized?"

Roxas sighed, blinking gratefully at his friend. "Thanks, Axel."

Axel grabbed him in a loose choke hold. "That's what friends are for, right?"

The girls cooed, "Aw!"

The boys just continued to chat, with the exception of Ari.

Namine came in then, saw them all talking in the back, and headed over.

"Hey, guys." She smiled then, taking a seat next to Roxas, who blushed and stared at the table.

Everyone greeted her, and then Riku and Tidus left to get the drinks.

"So," Selphie started. "Then everyone see that shirt Yuffie was wearing today?"

Kairi nodded. "I liked it, it was really different."

The girls continued to talk along this line, and the boys began to chat about whatever came to mind.

Roxas leaned back, trying to get Namine to make eye contact with him.

"If you ever need any help, you know, on getting around, I'm your guy."

She smiled, looking to the side. "Thanks."

"Can I see your cell phone?"

She looked puzzled, but handed him the phone. It was bright white, and when he opened it, the picture inside was of her and someone who must have been her dad.

He quickly added his number to her contact list, then handed it back.

"Smooth." Hayner whispered loudly. Roxas shot him a look that said, "Don't you dare!" before giving his attention back to Namine.

"So, why don't I see you around more often?"

She finally lifted her eyes to look at him, and his heart skipped three beats. He thought he'd need life support just to look at her.

Her eyes were a shiny, light blue. So startling blue it was like looking at the sky. He thought he'd collapse due to lack of air, since he'd stop breathing when she looked at him.

Just those eyes scattered all of his thoughts, and he was grateful that she started talking, so he could try to gather them back up.

"I'm really shy." She admitted, still maintaining eye contact. "I'm only here because Kairi is." She shot Kairi a smile before looking at Roxas again. "I'm really sorry if I seem rude."

Roxas couldn't talk to her. It was like her eyes were electrocuting him, he felt like everything inside him was on overdrive.

She frowned slightly, lowering her eyes. Immediately his thoughts returned to him.

"N-no!" He said quickly, smiling. "You're not being rude! It's okay! I'm willing to wait until you open up. I'd like to know more about you." He admitted in a quieter tone.

She smiled, then turned around and accepted her drink from Riku and Tidus. Roxas sipped his, (an ice cream float), and let Namine drink hers before he started into the conversation again.

"For example, where do you live?"

She cocked her head to the side.

_Idiot! Sounds like a stalker!_

He once again scrambled to get a better answer. It reminded him of a certain candy bar commercial.

_Need a moment? Chew it over with-_

"I live not far from here, the house with the…" He grimaced, staring at the table. "Lawn gnome."

Her laughter sounded. It echoed in his ears like heaven's bells. "Why the 'lawn gnome'?" She asked curiously.

"Well, my mom loves them. And I broke it. So I remade its head with a coconut, and…" Roxas smiled. "She loved it. It's famous on our block."

"That's so sweet."

Roxas smiled, placing his hand on the table near hers. "I know. I guess."

Then, two things ruined the moment.

One, Hayner made a kissing sound that was quickly silenced by all the boys present, even Ari. How? They threw napkins at him.

Two, Xion came in. Her eyes flicked over to Namine, then Roxas, then everyone else. She said loudly,

"I guess I wasn't important enough to be invited to this?" Luckily they were the only ones in the shop, since a large crowd of teenagers were usually enough to chase off anyone.

She turned on her heel and left.

Roxas groaned, hitting his head again. They had gathered to talk about what to do, so naturally he couldn't have invited her. But still, it did look pretty bad.

He felt Namine's hand on his own, her touch feather light.

"It'll work out." She promised.

***

_**I know, I know. You want to see the movie part. We'll get to that! I'm writing it right now, it should be uploaded not long after this one. I don't like making Xion a jerk, but she'll get back on track later.**_


	4. Movie Night

Grace

Chapter Four: Movie Night

Regardless of the little coffee shop fiasco, Roxas was still going to pick up Xion. Luckily Axel was coming in his car, (a red convertible that he had no idea how he had afforded), so he didn't have to worry about getting a taxi.

It was a casual thing, so he was just wearing a white jacket and black pants, with a shirt patterned the same way. He swallowed nervously, wondering how in the world it had gotten to this.

What Ari had said replayed in his mind:

"_The question is, does she know you don't like her like that?"_

Well, she should, right? Hadn't he made that clear at her house?

Roxas was talking to Hayner about it.

"Man, oh man, Roxas! That's gotta be awkward. Just remember to keep it as casual as you can, and don't let her trick you next time into a date!"

Roxas sighed. "I can't help it. I get really flustered. And she makes you feel guilty about-"

"Man up, Roxas!" Hayner scoffed. "And I've gotta go."

"Okay. Later."

Roxas hung up, heaved a sigh, and went outside after he heard a horn honk.

This would be the second time he saw Larxene, and she wasn't much different. She was still pretty, still dressed in black, and still had that look in her eyes that meant she was in danger of losing her temper at any moment.

What the _heck _Axel saw in her, he never knew.

He quickly leaped into the back, buckling his seat belt.

"Hey Axel, Larxene. Thanks for coming."

Axel grinned, slamming his foot on the pedal. "No problem."

Larxene popped a bubble, grinning wickedly at what passed as a friendly smile to Roxas. "What's up, runt? Got a date?"

Roxas glared at the back of Axel's head as they headed for Xion's house.

"Didn't you tell her?"

Axel blinked. "Oh yeah. Larxene, Xion set him up on a date."

Larxene laughed a trilling giggle that still carried a cold chill.

"That little black haired girl? She's smarter than she looked!"

Roxas got out of the car and quickly headed for Xion's door. He knocked on it, and she opened it, wearing casual clothes also.

"Hey." He said cheerfully. "Sorry, but Axel and Larxene are here."

Xion walked past him, and he followed her.

"I don't mind." She said, climbing into the back with him. Larxene muttered something about living in the slums, and Axel floored it toward the theater district.

"So, what movie are we watching?" Axel asked, looking at them via the rearview mirror.

"Something with fantasy?" Roxas suggested.

"No romance." Larxene scoffed. "Those things are _so _predictable."

Xion looked at Roxas, then at everyone else. "We can just see when we get there."

"Whatever." Larxene replied.

The streets went by in a blinding blur before Axel finally pulled into a parking spot. Twilight View, the name of the movie theater in town, was packed with people, since it was Saturday night. Roxas walked alongside Xion as they scanned the movie posters.

"What about _The Thirteen_?" Xion suggested, surprising everyone.

Larxene did a double take, looking at the violent movie poster for the horror movie. She had to bend over slightly to be on Xion's eye level.

"You," she pointed her finger at the poster. "Want to see that?"

Xion shrugged. "I don't see why not."

Larxene laughed loudly, making everyone glance at her. "I like her more every passing minute!"

Everyone helped pay for the tickets, and after being shown into the theater, Axel and Roxas went to get the snacks.

"Don't worry; I'll sit on one side of you. Xion can sit on the other. Don't let her get you with the 'hand in the popcorn' thing." Axel said to him as they stood in line. Then he stopped, and almost dropped his wallet.

"Oh my God!" He said several impolite words. "That sneaky little-!"

"What?" Roxas asked. "You okay?"

Axel growled, handing the scared cashier the money. As they walked back to the theater, arms laden with food, his friend fixed Roxas with his green eyed stare.

"That sneak! She picked a scary movie! Think about it man!"

Roxas did. "Uh oh."

"Yeah. She's gonna try and act 'scared', and then probably hug you or something when it gets to a scary part. And I didn't catch it 'till just now!" He swore violently.

"Calm down. It'll be okay. What should I do to stop it?"

"You can't do anything, really." Axel admitted. They took their seats as the previews drew to a close.

The distributed the food before settling down for the movie. _The Thirteen _started out with one of those typical "displaced family moves to an old home in the middle of NO WHERE that looks haunted" stories, before heading straight into the horror portion. Disembodied limbs erupted from some guy's throat, trying to choke-

Roxas stiffened. Throughout the entire movie he had almost forgotten Xion was there. It was like old times. However, now she was hugging him, hiding her face in his chest as the scene escalated into terrible violence and gore.

Larxene was grinning, but Axel looked faintly sick. Several movie goers abandoned their seats and raced out of the theater, the others were sipping drinks frantically, or covering their eyes.

Even Roxas couldn't look at the screen. He averted his eyes and instead his naturally sympathetic side kicked in. He tried to comfort Xion, because she really did look scared, and when the movie was over they headed back for Axel's car.

"Well." Axel said, looking sick. "That was-"

"Awesome. I'm definitely going to buy that on DVD." Larxene said cheerily.

"Say what? Are you brain damaged? And since when do you _buy_? You just get bootlegs!"

They argued back and forth, and Roxas instead looked at Xion, who said:

"_That _was a mistake."

"Didn't like it?"

"Worse than I thought." She groaned, laying her head on his shoulder was Axel pulled out of the theater. They headed for Xion's house.

The silence stretched uncomfortably between the foursome until they reached Xion's home. When Roxas opened the door for his friend, Larxene called to her, "We should do this again sometime! You have great taste in movies!"

Xion grimaced, waving slightly, and Roxas took her to her doorway.

He scratched his head. "Well…um…that was kind of fun." He said, at a loss for words.

She smiled. "Yeah. See you later?"

Roxas was puzzled. "Um…yeah. We're _friends_, always have been."

She prepared to close the door. "Always will."

***

"Gee, man." Sora sighed. "She's really crafty."

Roxas banged his head repeatedly on his friend's kitchen wall. "I know! I'm just glad she didn't ask for a repeat!"

Sora, Kairi, and Roxas were hanging out. Roxas was here since Namine was, but she was upstairs doing "girl things" with her hair.

Kairi frowned slightly. "Just be really careful when answering her questions, okay? And hope to God she won't try to date you anymore."

"Yeah yeah. Hey, Namine!" He called, hearing her coming down the steps. Was it his imagination, or did the footsteps pick up…?

"Roxas!" She smiled. It seemed to light up the whole room. "Have you heard?"

Roxas felt warm and tingly inside. Because he knew what she was about to say. It was Sunday morning, and he got a job de-weeding the garden of his next door neighbor. In return, his neighbor, whom owned a flower shop, would let him pick one flower free, every day, for as long as he helped him out.

"Heard what?" Kairi asked.

Namine produced a beautiful white rose. "This flower! It just appeared outside of my house one day, in a little clay vase I made when I was younger, with the note, 'first of many'."

"Aw, a secret admirer?" Sora said with his silly grin.

Kairi glanced at Sora.

"What? I didn't do it, I swear Kairi!" He put his hands up and smiled helplessly. Kairi kissed him quickly on the cheek. It was the second time he had seen them do this.

"I know." She said, eyes sparkling.

Namine smiled, touching the rose. That soft smile on her lips made Roxas grin, but he quickly hid it as her eyes turned his way, once again scattering his thoughts.

"Erm, ah, uh…want to go to the Sunrise?" He stammered at last, feeling the blush touch his face.

She nodded. "Sure."

They all walked down to the Sunrise, and Kairi and Sora left them alone to get the drinks. They sat down, and Roxas stared in surprise.

Namine waved. "Hey, Ari."

Ari was about to leave. He had his constant shoulder bag in his hand, about to sling it on.

"Oh. Hey."

"How're doing?" Roxas asked.

"Okay. I guess."

The kid was impossible to have a conversation with. Roxas just shrugged. "See you in school."

Kairi and Sora came back then. They both waved, and Sora asked Ari suddenly;

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

Ari actually blushed slightly.

Kairi stared at Sora, shocked. "Sora! I'm so sorry Ari, that's really rude of him."

"It's okay. I'm used to it. And yes."

Kairi looked surprised. "Who?"

Ari smiled. "Marlene. She's back home." And with that he left.

Sora began apologizing to Kairi for his curiosity, and Roxas took this moment to talk to Namine.

"Hey, Namine?" He wanted to faint again as her eyes stared into him, like she could read his mind.

"Yes, Roxas?"

"Um…" His thoughts were scattered to the wind again.

"Yes?" She looked confused.

He wanted to ask her out. He really did.

However, something was wrong. **If he asked her out right now, having only known her a couple of days, she might get offended. **

Or, maybe she wouldn't. Like she had said, **she was shy, and most likely wouldn't ask him first.**

What should he do?  
***

_**That's right; I want your opinion again. Your opinion is his choice.**_

_**I want you to pay close attention to the bold and underlined sentence, but also keep in mind the sentence below that.**_


	5. A Mistake

Grace

Chapter Five: A Mistake

"Namine, want to go out with me?" He asked in a quiet voice.

Namine stared at him. "But we've only known each other for…"

"I know…but…err…"

Then she slapped him and walked out of the café.

***

_Well_, Roxas decided after shaking his head, clearing it of the dumb vision_. I don't have anything to lose if I ask her._

_Except for my physical and mental health. _He added silently.

With difficulty he lifted his eyes from the table and tried to look at her.

"Namine…would you like to hang out with me next Saturday?" He looked away, embarrassed, staring at the table. He heard Kairi and Sora still talking about something or other, unaware that he had just asked her out.

Namine was silent for so long he was afraid he had made her mad. He looked up to apologize when he saw that she was smiling slightly, blushing.

"Well…" She looked directly at him, spearing him with her blue eyes. "Sure."

Roxas was so relieved. He took a deep breath, messing with his hair. "Oh, really? Well…I'll call you, on Saturday."

Namine nodded. "I look forward to it."

He felt like he could fly.

***

"Really?"

"Yeah." Roxas said, unable to believe it either.

"_Really?_" Axel repeated in disbelief.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah! She said yes!" Suddenly Roxas sat up in bed, throwing aside the ball he had been tossing into the air. "Wait…oh no."

"What?"

"What should I do? Where should we go, man? I'm-"

"Calm down! Whoa. You over think things. Just take a deep breath. Nod if you did."

Roxas nodded slowly.

"Now tell me if you nodded." The grin in his voice was unmistakable.

"I nodded." Roxas replied with a roll of his eyes.

Axel laughed. "What does she like?"

"That's the problem! I'm so-"

"CALM DOWN. Call Sora, and Kairi. They hang out with her a lot. Once you find out what she likes, call me again. Call everyone, get some input, and then put things together. It's Sunday night, you don't have to worry about it 'till next weekend."

Roxas thanked Axel, and then quickly dialed Sora's number.

"Huh? Oh. Hey, Roxas. Yeah, I'm not busy. What's up?"

Roxas quickly explained the situation. Sora's laughter could be heard clearly.

"Wait, you asked her out without-"

"I know! But she said yes!" Roxas sighed. "Help me out, please?"

Sora was silent a moment. "Well, she likes art and stuff. Try theater, or plays. Oh, and she loves roses."

Roxas thanked him, and then called Kairi. She answered on the third ring.

"Hi, Roxas. Namine?" She made an "hmm" sound. "Well. Yeah, she loves drawing and painting. Art is her thing. Find something that the both of you could enjoy. But I think you're worrying too much. That's the kind of stuff for later dates." She giggled. "Keep it simple, you know? A walk in the park, then go to the Sunrise. Easy."

Roxas spent the next hour calling everyone. Selphie said you _had _to give her something. Tidus said don't try and kiss her on the first date. ("No, really? I had _no _idea." Roxas had replied angrily.) Olette agreed with Kairi, simple was good at this stage. Hayner and Pence both thought a white rose was a good idea. Axel said he had a "surprise" to give him on Friday, in preparation for the date.

After piecing it all together, Roxas finally went to sleep.

***

School was going to be awkward. Axel wasn't here today, which unfortunately meant that Roxas had no choice but to talk directly with Xion. If she felt uneasy she didn't show it. Her eyes strayed toward the ceiling during class, never looking at him but not giving off an unfriendly vibe.

During Science class, (thank goodness), Roxas wasn't paired up with Xion like normal. Instead he did the simple project with Ari, who didn't say anything. That was good, because Roxas didn't feel like talking.

Roxas felt guilty afterward, because in hindsight Ari had done all the work. But he spent the class looking at everyone.

Namine was teamed up with Seifer. _Very _unfortunate. Strangely, Seifer didn't say or do anything remotely like he usually did. He was quiet while Namine did all of the work. Fuu, Seifer's gang member who happened to be a girl, was staring at Namine with that cold look only she could pull off.

During lunch, Roxas went to Ari and quickly apologized about the science thing. The kid only raised an eyebrow. Not everyone can raise only one eyebrow.

"Don't worry about it." He said simply.

Roxas sat next to Hayner, who immediately launched into some hidden jokes involving Roxas and Namine. After the third joke involving them Olette stuffed her trash into the bag her sack lunch had come in and quickly walloped him with it.

Sora and everyone were trying to extract themselves from a conversation with Selphie.

"Do you know what I said to her? I'll tell you what I said. I said, "You can't be serious, wearing that dress." And then Yuffie just _slapped me_-"

"Um, I've gotta go-"Sora tried to stand and Kairi with him, but with a yank Tidus sat them back down.

"If I have to deal with," He jerked his head toward Selphie. "You have to too." He hissed.

Roxas suppressed a laugh. "Namine?" He asked quietly.

She lifted her head, looking at him. His thoughts were scrambled again.

"Er, what would you like to do on Saturday?"

She shrugged. "We'll figure it out. I don't mind just walking around."

Uh oh. Roxas had thought, sitting next to Selphie who was speaking practically in her ear that Xion hadn't heard.

"What?" She said, looking at Roxas. "What are you talking about?"

The table went quiet.

"Er-"

"Did you guys all know this?" She looked around the table, taking in everyone's guilty expressions.

Xion grabbed her tray and left, and Roxas hit his head three times on the table.

***

After class, Roxas headed for his locker. He slung his pack over his shoulder after he had finished, preparing to leave, when he heard it.

"Let me go!" It was Namine.

He raced down the corridors, seeing Seifer talking to her. He had her by the arm.

"Let her go!" He shouted.

Seifer whirled around, smirking, still holding Namine's arm. "What, is this your boyfriend?" He said contemptuously.

Namine suddenly kicked Seifer in the stomach. He keeled over, and the girl snatched her bag off the ground, grabbing a stunned Roxas by his shoulder until he spun around and followed her out of school.

"Did you just-"

Namine laughed, trying to catch her breath after they had run a distance from the school. He didn't recognize the neighborhood they were in.

"Yeah, I did. Sorry for dragging you out here. There's my house." She pointed to a big white house that Roxas quickly remembered the address of, and the street name.

"Want to come in for something to drink? My parents aren't home."

Roxas nodded, unable to resist the urge to see her house. Once inside, he couldn't help but look around in surprise.

Everything was antique, expensive, and pretty. All the colors were light, except for some deep brown in the furniture and a few spots of dark red. A little white terrier raced up to Namine. She patted it then led Roxas into a huge kitchen that dwarfed his own.

She passed him a soda, and he drank it without looking at it. "Wow, this is so…"

"Overdone. I know." She sighed, leaning against the counter. She looked oddly sad. He wanted to comfort her, but he didn't know what was troubling her.

"What's the matter?" He asked. Sometimes he had to be direct, y'know?

"My parents…oh…never mind…it's not your fault…" She whispered. He was startled to see tears in her eyes.

He stepped toward her, quickly grabbing her arm, gently. "I want to know."

She sniffed, turning her head. "My mom is divorcing my dad. That's why I moved here. This is my mom's house, and she is never here."

"Why don't you hang out with Kairi then?" He asked.

"I don't want to impose. I'm over more often than I should."

"I doubt Kairi sees it that way. You really shouldn't worry about it, okay? If you need anyone to talk to…" He smiled then, trying to get her to do so too. She smiled weakly at him.

"Sorry for breaking down." She laughed weakly. That was breaking down? She barely even cried!

Roxas acted on impulse, just like with Xion in the movie theater. He hugged her to his chest, and to his surprise she hugged him back.

"It'll be okay." He whispered.

He released her then, and started apologizing. "That got out of control, sorry about the-"

"Don't worry." She put her fingers on his lips to stop the torrent of apologies. "It's okay."

Roxas checked the clock as it dinged. "I've gotta go." He didn't like the idea of her sitting here all alone. He'd be sure to send Kairi over.

"Bye, Roxas." She turned her head to the side, not looking at him.

He did something very, very rash then. He quickly kissed her on the cheek before sprinting out of her house. She smiled, touching her cheek with one hand.

***

On the way home Roxas called Kairi and told her about her cousin. After hanging up he almost skipped to his house. On a street corner, waiting for a bus, was Ari, head down, staring at something that wasn't a book.

Roxas paused. "What's up, Ari?"

The kid looked up, his eyes looking almost watery. "Nothing."

Roxas looked over Ari's shoulder. A picture of a girl was in his hands. The girl had orangeish hair, with sharp eyes and a long dress.

He already knew, but he asked anyway. "Who's that?"

"Marlene."

"Miss her?"

He laughed mirthlessly. "Of course. My parents made me try this, but at the end of the year I can go home. It's not that I don't like this place, but I miss my friends." Ari stood up, tucking the picture in his pocket and got on the bus without a backwards glance.

Roxas felt sorry for the kid but decided there really was nothing he could do about it. He headed home again, wondering what to do on two major issues.

Issue One: What was he going to do exactly with Namine? Just wing it? Or plan something?

Issue Two: What about Xion?

***

_**I welcome ideas on the Roxas and Namine date, but I have some details already planned out, no matter what anyone says.**_

_**The same with Xion, but ideas are always welcome.**_


	6. What did you do!

Grace

_**I don't think I can do long romances…I start to lose interest…But I hate it when people start something and don't end it, so don't worry about that!**_

Chapter Six: "What did you do?!"

Roxas stared at the box in his hands, shaking it ever so slightly.

"What's this, Axel?"

His friend grinned crookedly. "Okay, so you know girls love jewelry, right?"

"Please don't tell me you got a wedding ring already."

Axel snickered. "Heck no. Instead, I got something much simpler. See, it's a little bracelet…"

Roxas opened the box, and inside sat a simple silver chain. "What's that about?"

"Let me finish! Okay, so I looked this up on the internet…Just buy a charm or somethin' that reminds you of her. It's simple, it's not too hard core at this stage, and can even be interpreted as a friendship bracelet. Every special holiday or somethin' buy another charm…see where I'm goin'?"

Roxas grinned, looking at the chain. Then he began to panic again. "I didn't buy anything! How was I supposed to know you got a charm bracelet?"

Axel put his hands up. "Calm down. Sheesh. I got something already." He handed Roxas a little gemstone terrier that hooked easily onto the bracelet. "See? You said she had a dog, right?"

Roxas relaxed. "Oh. That's awesome. Thanks, Axel."

He grinned in return. "Hey, no problem."

Suddenly Roxas had a stupid idea. He only tried it because he knew Axel loved a good joke, and it was his way of thanking his friend.

"Remember that time in second grade; you came over to my house for ice cream?"

Looking confused, the redhead nodded.

"Well…that ice cream cost me three bucks. I want it back."

He stared with a serious expression at Axel.

"What?"

"That's right. I'm serious."

Axel broke into unexpected laughter, shoving not three dollars, but five into his hand. "Okay, play it like that. But I'll remember something and you'll end up having to give me ten bucks. That bracelet right there? That cost fifteen…"

Roxas covered his face with his hand, and then he grinned. "Okay, no more. You're not mad at me for robbing you of five bucks, are you?" He fully intended to give the money back, anyway.

"No worries. Anyhow, I'm out." He waved goodbye before getting into his car. "Keep it simple." He called before speeding away.

Simple. Okay.

Roxas quickly slipped the bracelet into his pocket before wandering over to Namine's house. He noticed a shiny black car was in the driveway. He grimaced, and then knocked on the door.

A woman that looked a lot like Namine opened the door. She was taller, with the same shiny blonde hair, but her eyes were a sharp brown.

"Oh. You're here for Namine, right? Bring her back _at ten. On the dot!_"

Roxas nodded quickly. "Got it. Ten." That gave him two hours.

"Mom, it'll be okay." Namine soothed, walking past her mother onto the porch. After they headed down the steps, Roxas fumbled with his jacket pocket before handing her the bracelet.

"Just a little something, y'know, to commemorate our time together?" Never mind that Axel had picked it.

Her whole face lit up, toying with the little dog pendant. "That's so sweet." She gave him a quick one armed hug. "Thanks."

They headed toward the park and simply walked around, enjoying the atmosphere.

"How're things?" Roxas asked after a while. The silence was long but not uncomfortable.

"I'm doing okay, actually. Nothing too much is going on. This is a peaceful little town."

"Yeah. I hope it always is."

He noticed she was shivering slightly, and quickly handed her his jacket. "Sorry, guess I should have told you we were going walking. Want to get something to eat?"

She nodded. "Not sure what, though. Let's just find somewhere."

They were walking around downtown, uncomfortably near Xion's house. He prayed he wouldn't run into his friend here. If they were still friends.

Pushing that thought aside, he started in surprise when he felt Namine slide her fingers through his.

"Is something wrong?"

He looked into her blue eyes and ended up confused again. But he was getting better at talking to her.

"I'm…just really confused. Every step toward you is a step away from my friend."

"Xion?" She asked quietly.

"Yeah. I don't know what to do."

"I don't want to break you up with your old friend…" She sounded depressed again.

Roxas quickly took both of her hands and stopped to fully face her.

"None of this," he said quietly in a low murmur. "Is your fault."

She just stared at him for a while before nodding.

They continued, Roxas dropping one of her hands, gently squeezing it.

They decided to eat in a cozy looking Italian restaurant. They ordered some pizza before sipping their drinks and chatting back and forth.

The evening went better than Roxas had ever thought possible. They went window shopping mostly, but Roxas ended up buying a book and Namine bought one too, (she refused to let him pay for it), and at fifteen minutes to ten headed back to her house. She quickly handed him his jacket, the scent of her perfume still hung on it.

Along the road, the street lamps shed an orange glow on everything; Roxas found that he no long kept anything from her. If Namine asked, he replied. She just seemed to know anyway, but wanted him to say it.

Stars were low on the horizon, the only ones brave enough to survive the light pollution that usually blotted out their frosty glow. The moon stubbornly shone through some low hanging night clouds, but the sun was a distant memory, having had succumbed to the power of darkness.

Shaking away that strange train of thought, Roxas turned toward Namine once her house was in sight.

"Do you want a ride home? My mom would probably take you…" She asked.

Roxas shivered, remembering how her mother had looked. "Ah, no. I'll be okay."

She laughed at his expression, and then looked guilty. "I didn't get you a gift."

"Don't worry about it." He assured her. But she shook her head, causing him to frown.

"I'll make it up to you…want a picture of anything?"

Roxas considered it, and then smiled slowly. "You."

She blushed, turning away. Then she slowly looked back at him.

"Like a photo, or a…"

"Something you drew. I'm sure it's better than any photo."

She blushed again at his praise, and then nodded. "I'll come give it to you, when it's finished. I'll get to work right away. See you!"

She waved before heading for her home. It was like her shyness evaporated around him. He headed home, feeling giddy with happiness. It didn't last long.

His phone vibrated.

He took it out and flicked it open, studying the screen. Xion.

"Hello?" He said into the receiver.

"Hi, Roxas. Sorry about…" She sounded genuinely hurt.

Roxas felt guilty again. "Wait, no it's okay!" He said quickly. "No worries."

He imagined her twirling her finger into her hair. "Really? Well...Okay. See you later…"

She hung up. Glad that both Xion and the date thing had been solved, Roxas pumped his fist into the air.

Things were looking up.

***

He was puzzled at school on Monday. Namine wasn't there. All throughout the morning classes. In Science, Roxas asked Ari if he had seen her.

The kid blinked his big green eyes. "Namine? No…I don't recall seeing her at all."

At lunch Roxas asked Kairi where her cousin was.

"I don't know. She won't answer the phone." She replied in a confused tone.

"I went to her house, since Kairi asked. But she won't open the door." Sora added.

His confusion only increased when Xion said suddenly, "Why do you keep asking everyone?"

Everyone turned to look at the black haired girl.

"She'll get here when she does." Xion said, oblivious to the stares.

"Do you know something?" Olette asked slowly.

A partial smile. "Not really. I just know I went to see her yesterday." Xion stood up with her tray, about to leave. "I just told her what I think of her."

Roxas felt anger course through him. Now what had that_ sneak_ done?

"What did you do?!" He growled at his former friend. Half the room went quiet.

Xion met his stare. "Nothing. We just talked."

And with that, she left.

He had two choices.

He could either confront Xion, or go find out what happened to Namine. Which one first…?

***

_**They'll both get done either way, but finding out what happened to Namine and the Xion thing will take one whole chapter, each. **_

_**This means I only have three chapters to go! Post in your review what you want to see first.**_


	7. Confrontation

Grace

_***grins* Since more people are reading this story, I feel more inspired to finish it. And I hope Ari isn't bothering some people.**_

Chapter Seven: Confrontation

Roxas was angry. He didn't care if he was late for class. He left the table without a word to anyone else and quickly chased after Xion.

"Xion!" He hissed, grabbing her shoulder more roughly than he had intended. He instantly felt guilty, as usual, but didn't let it stop him.

"R-Roxas?" Her eyes widened, staring into his own with a frightened expression. Roxas quickly removed his hand.

_Idiot! _He scolded himself. He knew Xion had had an abusive mother. He had forgotten.

"What did you say to Namine?" He demanded.

She crossed her arms. "I just said what-"

"Listen, Xion. Please. What did you say?"

His friend turned her face to the side. "I think she's a best friend stealer."

Roxas stared, dumbfounded. "What?"

"I think she stole you, okay? I wanted to..." Roxas was alarmed to see she had tears in her eyes. "She doesn't realize how lucky she is, okay?" She tried to walk off, but Roxas gently grabbed her arm.

"What do you mean?" He asked, confused.

She smiled without any of it touching her eyes. "You've been my friend for a while now..."

He grimaced. "I don't think I can keep being one if you are going to pull stunts like this every time I go out with someone."

"I know, that's why we went to the-" She made a choking noise in her throat, cutting the rest off. They had been speaking in whispers, and Roxas quickly hauled her around the corner into the empty hallway.

"Wait, you _did _want to go the the movies with me!"

She bit her lip. "Of course."

Suddenly understanding hit our poor naïve hero. "What? Oh...you..."

Ari's words were in his mind again.

"_The question is, does she know you don't like her like that?"_

"Xion." He scratched the back of his neck. "I thought I made it clear..."

Tears went down her face. Oh no. He had made her _cry_?

"I know you did. I just didn't want to believe it. I thought I could change your mind..."

"I'm really sorry, Xion." He whispered, wiping her tears away. "I don't like you like that."

"Why didn't you...talk to me...afterward..?"

Roxas frowned. "To be honest, I thought it was a little awkward between us for a while. I was planning on talking to you. I really was."

Xion read his honest expression, the desperation burning in his blue eyes was clear.

"Okay. I believe you." She admitted. "Sorry."

He hugged her tightly, laughing a little.

"Sorry about startling you."

She pulled out of his grip limply, not looking at him. "I wasn't startled. I'm going to go home..."

Roxas stared at her. "Right now? During lunch?"

"Axel is supposed to be coming here...picking up some kind of kid that's part of his gang..."

He knew all about the gang Axel was in. Roxas was only loosely in there, trying to remain out of the trouble.

"See you, Xion."

He gave her a big smile, but she turned and headed out of the door. Roxas followed her, and through the little window on the door he saw she had burst into tears.

***

_After school that same day..._

"I'm a _scumbag_."

"Sure are."

"I'm so worthless!"

"Yeah."

"HAYNER!" Olette shouted, glaring at her friend.

"What? Roxas is the one feeling sorry for himself. Okay, so Xion is sad. She'll get over it."

"It'll be hard." Kairi said thoughtfully. "I think we should try to get her together with Riku."

"Huh? Why?" Sora asked.

"They just seem like the type of kids that would go well together, you know?"

Selphie nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, yeah! Call Riku, Kairi! And put him on speakerphone!"

Kairi shrugged, removing her pink cellphone, and speed dialed Riku's number.

"Shh." Selphie told everyone as Riku picked up.

"Hello?"

For once they weren't in the Sunrise, they were just hanging out in Kairi's backyard. Everyone was there, including Ari, who looked really amused for some reason.

"Hey, Riku."

Riku's delight was noticeable even to Roxas. For some reason Sora narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Kairi! Hey, how are you?"

Apparently Sora had gotten into a fight with Riku lately. Something about the kid joining some kind of bad group. That would explain why he wasn't with them much at the Sunrise.

"I'm doing good." She shot Sora a smile, and he relaxed.

"That's nice." He sounded like he genuinely meant it. He had a warm, deepish sort of voice that unmistakeably went with his personality. "Why did you call, though? Not that I mind." He amended hastily.

Selphie whispered something about how cute it was that he liked Kairi, and Tidus shot her a look that said, "Shh!" Roxas knew that would earn the kid a slap later on.

"Did someone say something?" Riku's voice said in confusion.

"Nope. I mean, someone might have. I'm just walking around." Kairi said cheerily.

"Hm. Okay. What is it?" Riku sounded amused.

"Are you busy at the moment? I want you to hang out with us."

"Not really. Why?"

"Do I need a reason to see my best friend?" Kairi said in her usual happy tone. Sora grumbled something.

Riku sounded ecstatic. "Really? You guys stopped talking to me...Is Sora there?" His tone turned venomous.

"No." Kairi shot Sora a look that said, "Get going!"

Suddenly, the bushes rustled and Riku stepped from around them, snapping his silver phone shut.

"Busted." He gave Kairi a teasing grin, but then his ice blue eyes slid over to Sora's.

Everyone felt awkward, then Roxas broke the silence.

"How well do you know Xion?"

Ari stood up, walking past them all.

"Where're you going, Ari?" Kairi asked quickly, before Riku could say something.

"This is just a _tad _too dramatic for me. See you all later." He said with a grin.

***

"Xion?" Roxas called her on speakerphone a while later, after the issue had been resolved between Kairi, Sora, and Riku.

"Yes?"

"Would you like to hang out?"

"Um..."

"Please?" He asked. "Call Axel too."

"But _not _Larxene." Tidus grumbled.

"...Okay. Where are you?"

"Your cousin's house." Kairi said loud enough to get picked up on Xion's end.

The grin in his friend's voice was obvious. "Okay." She said again.

Roxas leaned over to Kairi. "Why didn't you guys get them to talk earlier?"

"I don't know. Riku usually didn't hang out with my other friends. He knows Xion pretty well, but lately..."

Roxas just nodded.

Not long after the call the sound of a car roaring down the street met their ears. A screech, followed by the sound of someone cursing and the sound of something getting hit.

"Oh my _God_! Did you just hit my mailbox?!" Kairi shouted as Xion and Axel rounded the corner.

Axel put his hands out. "Hey, sorry."

Kairi strode up to him and slapped him.

_Well, _Roxas thought as Sora re-introduced Xion and Riku. _Time to go see Namine._

_***_

_**And there we have it. Namine is next. He wanted to resolve the Xion thing before moving onto her.**_


	8. Words hurt more than actions

Grace

Chapter Eight: Words hurt more than actions

Now that the whole Xion thing had been resolved, Roxas booked it down the street, not even grabbing his bike, and headed for Namine's house. He didn't pause, didn't falter. Just ran, faster and faster, his breath coming in gasps.

Upon reaching her house, he skidded around her drive, which was wet thanks to the sprinkler, and bolted up the steps. Her parents weren't home, or so he guessed, due to the lack of a car in the driveway. He rapped on the door, grabbing the heavy eagle's head knocker.

Wumph. Wumph. Wumph.

No answer.

"Namine!" He called, praying she was home and not out with her parents.

He called her name some more, and was reward with the slight twitch of a curtain upstairs. He stepped, back, craning his head upwards. There was some sort of wooden wall on the side of her house, with lots of big holes in it. Vines were steadily climbing up it, grapes or something.

"Namine! Let me in!"

She moved the curtain to her room aside and looked down at him. She looked pretty bad, her hair ruffled and her eyes red.

"Roxas? What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to correct what Xion said. What _did _she tell you?"

Namine just closed the curtain, but kept the window open. So, she was listening, at least. Roxas did something really dumb then. He jumped onto the wooden wall with the vines and started climbing it, slipping his fingers into the gaps. The wall stretched up to her window, and right below her window was the roof to the front porch. Roxas clambered onto it, and then jumped up, grabbing the window, and hauled himself into her room.

He straightened up, removing some leaves from his clothes, grinning hugely as he looked around.

The entire room was white, white on white. The only thing that wasn't white was the pictures on the walls. Some really beautiful pictures, all greatly detailed.

Namine was sitting on her bed, raising her eyebrows. "Why…are you here?"

"I just told you." Roxas sat down next to her and took her hand. She blushed, looking at him from underneath her eyelashes.

"Please, tell me, what did my friend say? I already talked to Xion. She's sorry." _At least she better be!_

"It's not important." She turned her head away.

Roxas very gently placed his hand on her face and tilted her head up to look at him. "Please?"

She was silent for a while, then:

"I was just at home…my parents went somewhere…as usual. Then she rang the doorbell, and I recognized her, so I let her in. She then got straight to the point. She told me…I was basically pushing in on you guys relationship, distancing you two. Then she told me I was a…scheming little witch…that played innocent but really had a master plan to…"

She made a choking noise in her throat. "She didn't hit me, or even curse. Just said in a quiet voice all of these things…and more…"

Roxas said gently, "Do you want me to be honest?"

She nodded mutely, wiping away tears.

"I think she was partially right. Every time I approached you, I went away from her. But that wasn't your fault. It was mine. So yes, we were beginning to distance ourselves. However…the witch part sounds like she got confused with herself. If anyone is a scheming witch, it's her." He grinned, wrapping his arms around her and laughing to himself.

She leaned into his shoulder, smiling at him. "Sorry. I just have a really fragile…self esteem…Did I ruin your-"

"No." He promised quickly. "I fixed the problem with Xion. She understands now. In fact, I'm trying to help her with her own relationship." Not wanting Namine to think lowly of Xion, he added, "Don't be too hard on her. While growing up, until I introduced her to Axel, I was her only friend. She had abusive parents, verbally and physically. I think she just was afraid of losing her best friend, you know? She normally isn't like that."

Namine smiled without humor. "I bring the worst out in people."

"No. You bring out the best. _I _bring the worst out in people. Like I said, this is my entire fault."

Namine turned to look at him, her eyes barely an inch from his own. "This isn't your fault. It's the both of ours. I'm not mad at Xion. I never was." She spoke in a whisper.

Roxas felt himself smile. "I'm glad." Then he leaned forward and kissed her, full on the lips.

His first thought:

_OH MY GOD SHE'LL THINK YOU CAME IN HERE TO KISS HER!_

Second thought:

_She's kissing me back?!_

They both felt embarrassed, and Roxas quickly stood up and walked around the room.

"You drew these?" He gestured to the pictures, still blushing furiously.

"Y-yeah. Oh!" She ran over to her desk and handed him a piece of paper folded in half.

"T-The picture you wanted. Sorry it's not…entirely…what you asked. You said a picture of me, right?"

Roxas grinned. "I'll love it either way, I'm sure."

He opened the picture, and stared in disbelief.

It depicted them, in a white flower field with a blue sky that was kissed with the faintest tinge of orange and red. Not only that, but the grass was so beautiful Roxas had to do a double take to check that it wasn't a photograph. They were on their backs, holding hands, Namine pointing to something above them. The clouds. In little heart shapes.

Roxas ran to the mirror, and kept staring at the picture, then at himself.

"What?" Namine asked nervously.

"I don't remember looking that handsome." He stared at his reflection in confusion. He smiled helplessly as Namine began to giggle, and he laughed too.

Roxas reached into his jacket pocket and handed her a small silver heart.

"Here you go." He said simply.

Namine hooked it onto her charm bracelet and smiled at him, leaning against his chest. "Thank you." She whispered.

***

Here it was the awkward stage.

Namine smiled a bit at Xion, and the black haired girl just stared back. Then, she ran forward and hugged Namine.

"I'm really sorry." She admitted. "So sorry. I deserve to be slapped or something!"

"Well, okay." Axel slapped Xion, lightly, in the back of her head. She whirled around and chased the older kid across the entire expanse of Kairi's backyard, and Namine laughed.

"I can't believe…this worked out." She whispered.

"You have to have faith, you know?" Roxas grabbed her lightly in a hug.

Everyone "chorused "Aw!" even the boys.

"This is so great, and look!" Kairi whispered, pointing to Riku, who had just helped Xion to her feet, after tripping. Axel was smirking hugely.

Xion was blushing, and Riku was slightly. And they didn't let go of their hands.

"YEAH!" Sora shouted, unable to keep back his happiness for his best friend. Everyone turned to look at him, and he coughed. "Um…yeah…this is some…nice…" He quickly bolted into Kairi's house, with the excuse of getting something to drink.

Everyone laughed, and Roxas sat down next to Namine, staring at the sky. She leaned against his shoulder and together they laughed with their friends.

***

_**Only thing left is the Epilogue, which I guess I'll upload with this.**_


	9. Happily ever after?

Grace

Epilogue: All's well that ends well

It was the end of the school year, and the summer air felt great. Roxas rocketed out of the school, sliding down the rails that lined the steps, and quickly took his position against a tree. Ever since they had begun dating, really dating, Roxas had been waiting everyday for Namine underneath the tree to walk her home. Of course, he had to walk twice as far to his house, but it was worth it.

Besides, he needed the exercise, Axel said.

Everything was going fantastic. Xion and Riku were actually dating, so that left Kairi guilt free to continue her relationship with Sora. Hayner and Olette, who Roxas didn't even know liked each other, one day showed up hand in hand.

Roxas found it hilarious that Tidus was still being dragged around by Selphie, and everyone else was really happy. Pence said he wasn't interested in dating, and Ari already had a girlfriend back home.

Everyone was happy. Excellent! That meant so was he.

Namine came down the steps, smiling that soft smile, and Roxas caught her in a huge hug.

"It's over! For now, anyway. The first day of summer!" He celebrated, grabbing her hands and dancing in a circle. She laughed, allowing him to swing her around before gently putting her down.

Kairi and Sora, along with everyone else, came down the steps. Sora crossed his arms and heaved a sigh.

"Do you know what Riku was trying to do? He was trying to get held back a year so he could be in the same grade as Xion. I had to stop him. Or at least, I hope I did."

"That's so sweet." Olette said with a smile. Hayner snorted.

Unexpectedly, Kairi stepped aside as Ari pushed himself to the front.

"What is it?" She asked him.

The kid's face broke into the first true smile Roxas had seen. Usually the kid did a little smile, but now he was outright grinning.

They all looked. A limo had just pulled up, (WHAT THE FREAK?), and a butler opened the door. A girl emerged, with a shock of orange hair, and wearing a red and white dress.

The girl from his picture.

Ari raced down the steps, and everyone followed suit, curious to see what his girlfriend was like.

Marlene caught Ari in a hug, smiling hugely to match his, and Ari took her hand, turning to face them.

"This, everyone, is my girlfriend Marlene. Marlene, this is my friends." He gestured to them, and all everyone could do was stare. Sora waved slowly, and Hayner's face was frozen in shock.

Then Xion and Riku came down the steps, with Riku saying something about "show off foreign kids".

Marlene spoke in a cultured voice. "Yes, it is a great pleasure to meet you all, but Ari is going home for the summer. And next time when he comes, _he better bring me!"_ She glared at him, but he just grinned and so did she. With a final wave, Ari and his girlfriend stepped into the car.

Silence.

Then Sora started laughing, and everyone else did too. "Who would have thought it?"

Roxas was happy for the kid, and he took Namine's hand.

"Guys, I don't think the Sunrise is right for us right now. Let's go get some sea salt ice cream!"

The friends all headed down the street, still laughing, and the limo vanished down the road. A happily ever after…or was it?

***

_**Beats me. I might continue this with a sequel or something. Be sure to review! And check the poll on my page!  
**_


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